Backlighting tutorial – Here comes the sun!

During these dull and dreary days of February, I am conducting a case study into different lighting scenarios. Today’s shot: backlighting and sun flare. This is my absolute favourite shot using direct sunshine backlighting from last year. This picture was taken in June, in South Carolina at around 3:00pm in that afternoon. Bright doesn’t even come close to describing the light. But you make do with what you’ve got! By moving my camera just slightly and placing the sun just out of the frame I got that lovely sun flare that frames Ashley’s face and gives just the slightest boost of light to it. And the dark shadows in the background contrast with the overblown tops of the wheat around the subject to give the image depth. Tomorrow I’ll be looking for another backlit shot shooting straight on into the sun. Stay tuned!